The Capitals now can option Smith-Pelly to AHL Hershey if they so choose.

After getting a one-year deal from Washington last summer, Smith-Pelly made the team out of training camp, scoring seven goals and tallying 16 points in 76 games. In the postseason, DSP exploded for seven goals in 24 games, including the game-tying goal in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final.

Over the offseason, Smith-Pelly turned down bigger contracts, according to Washington Post reporting, to stay in Washington.

"Smith-Pelly’s strong postseason play would have made him a coveted free agent, and he turned down more lucrative one- and two-year contracts elsewhere because of an emotional attachment to Washington, a person with knowledge of the situation said." https://t.co/EgVj0IYWDz